Noel nearly spit out the words that came to mind:You better not try to play matchmaker during this busy holiday season.Thankfully the kids came running back over with ornaments in their hands putting an end to a silly conversation.
2
Cavin Dawson fastened each button on a perfectly ironed burnt orange shirt and then straightened the collar while looking in the mirror beside which his dark brown suit coat hung.His flight into Atlanta last night kept him up later than expected because of a weather delay.However, the limousine his dad’s assistant scheduled still managed to reach the gate at his parents' estate by midnight.
Neither of his parents waited up, but the butler granted access and ensured his belongings made it to his bedroom.Even though he couldn’t remember perspiring all day, Cavin knew his mother would have a fit if he didn’t shower before climbing into fresh linens.One of the family’s staff members took responsibility for washing all the laundry, so he never quite understood why it ruffled her feathers.After toweling off, he opted to go straight to bed rather than finish the paperwork from the deal he closed before stepping onto the airplane in Oklahoma; putting off the final details until tomorrow would make it easier to wake up in time for the traditional Dawson Thanksgiving breakfast.
The next morning he freshened up, and while he skipped down the spiral staircase in the spacious open foyer with his jet-black hair parted neatly and slicked back, he absentmindedly connected his cuff links.Passing through another room, he greeted one of the workers on his way to the formal dining room, where he found his mother and father awaiting his arrival.
Sitting properly in a new yellow dress at one end of a table for twelve where each place setting displayed a plate, silverware, and fine linens, Cavin’s mother glanced at her wristwatch.“We were beginning to wonder if you overslept.”
“Your mother was afraid you stayed out late with a woman,” Cavin’s father offered halfheartedly from the head of the table.
Cavin approached his mother gracefully and kissed her cheek.“You look beautiful,” he complimented before replying to the comments.“My connecting flight was delayed,” he revealed.
“Thank you.Now please sit with us,” Cavin’s mother requested.“We can discuss the details of your trip as George and the others serve the meal they have generously prepared.”
As Cavin’s father stood to shake his son’s hand, his brown tie covered the buttons down the shirt neatly tucked into his dress pants.A moment later, Cavin sat in his usual spot midway along the table on the right side while the other chairs remained empty as usual during this meal.He immediately noticed the lavishly designed tablescape featuring a centerpiece layered with pumpkins of various sizes; autumn colors and associated fruits spilled across a black and orange checkered table runner.
Fall-themed decorations and trinkets accented the room as well as every other area Cavin made his way through this morning and last night.The house decor, inside and out, changed with each season.At last count he recalled his family having thirty-one Christmas trees—one for each room and a handful on the porches.
“I was delighted to hear that you reached our goals in Oklahoma,” Cavin’s father announced as the staff quietly carried out dishes and set them gingerly in the appropriate places.
“That is fabulous news,” his mother commended, smiling at Cavin before turning her attention to her husband.“Luther, when will you purchase a private jet so our son can be on time for holiday meals?”
“Mother, I left my bedroom a few minutes before eight, and I am confident the walk did not take that long,” he postulated and then sipped the iced water next to his place setting.
“If you are on time, you are late,” she reminded him.
Growing up, Cavin heard that phrase hundreds if not thousands of times, and he expected that George, who began to uncover each dish so the others could insert the appropriate serving utensils, could verify that.
“Would you be late to a business meeting?”
“No, Mother.”
“Then please treat your father and me with the same respect.”
“Ruth, he is here, it is Thanksgiving, and he closed the deal we have been working on for a month.”
She forced a smile as George and the staff filled their plates with ham, eggs, bacon, and other breakfast delicacies.“Wonderful, now can we afford the airplane?”
“Maybe a helicopter,” Cavin’s father responded.
“We previously discussed that idea,” Cavin’s mother reminded everyone.
“Did we?”her husband checked.
“Mother feels it is not a safe mode of transportation,” Cavin reminded him.“I happen to agree.”
“When Cavin closes the deal in Beaufort, maybe we can shop for an airplane,” his father proposed.
“Beaufort?”Cavin inquired with a furrowed brow.
“Beaufort is a little town on the coast of North Carolina, and it is ready for big changes.”
“I thought Beaufort was in South Carolina,” Cavin’s mother interjected.
“That is Beaufort,” Cavin’s father clarified, pronouncing the South Carolina city as Bew-fort.“Beaufort,” he explained, pronounced Bow-fort, “is our next masterpiece.”
